CCC comments on Rationality Quotes August 2014 - Less Wrong

8 Post author: RolfAndreassen 04 August 2014 03:12AM

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Comment author: CCC 13 August 2014 10:42:21AM 2 points [-]

If he can't think of protecting oneself from other people's criminal activities, protecting oneself from other people's judgements, protecting one's creative activities from dissipation, protecting one's investigations from being scooped, protecting business secrets, and the basic feeling of GODDAMMIT THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, then what planet is he oh forget it.

I think most of these (all with the exception of "protecting one's investigations from being scooped" and possibly "protecting business secrets" or "THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS") could fall under "protect you from a dysfunctional world", depending on the definition of "dysfunctional". That is a very broad reason, after all; almost as broad as "to protect you from negative consequences".

Of course, that implies that a non-"dysfunctional" world would be some variant of utopia - presumably one where everyone more-or-less accepts Adams' basic viewpoints.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 13 August 2014 11:02:37AM 6 points [-]

Yes, if you label every reason to keep the world and his dog out of your business "dysfunctional" then the whole thing reduces to tautology.

Of course, that implies that a non-"dysfunctional" world would be some variant of utopia - presumably one where everyone more-or-less accepts Adams' basic viewpoints.

As I say, Adams is not a deep thinker, he just plays one on the net.

Comment author: Lumifer 13 August 2014 02:35:25PM *  3 points [-]

Adams is not a deep thinker, he just plays one on the net

Well, first it's much better to play a deep thinker on the 'net than do the usual thing and play an idiot on the 'net...

Second, it doesn't look like he necessarily commits to everything he throws out in his blog. He plays with ideas, tries them on for size, puts them on a stick and waves them at people, etc. I think that's fine and useful as long as you don't take everything he writes very very seriously.

Comment author: Azathoth123 14 August 2014 02:23:21AM 4 points [-]

Well, first it's much better to play a deep thinker on the 'net than do the usual thing and play an idiot on the 'net...

I'm not sure about that given what happens when someone who's not a deep thinker tries to play one.

Comment author: Lumifer 14 August 2014 02:24:12AM 2 points [-]

So, what happens?

Comment author: CCC 14 August 2014 04:17:05AM 0 points [-]

Yes, if you label every reason to keep the world and his dog out of your business "dysfunctional" then the whole thing reduces to tautology.

Well, yes. I read his argument as less of an argument in favour of openness and more a sort of a whinge about how people make too much of a big deal about certain things (like homosexuality) which then leads to people keeping those certain things secret.

I'm not sure if that's what he intended with his argument, but that's what I got from it.

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